Notre Dame football: Los Angeles Chargers sign Asmar Bilal

Following the conclusion of the 2020 NFL Draft, the Los Angeles Chargers announced they had signed former Notre Dame linebacker Asmar Bilal to a contract.

The 2020 NFL Draft came and went without former Notre Dame linebacker Asmar Bilal hearing his name announced as a selection for any NFL team. Despite not being drafted in the NFL Draft, Bilal was signed as an undrafted free agent soon after the draft by the Los Angeles Chargers.

Bilal was seen as a fringe candidate to be selected in the NFL Draft. Unfortunately for him, his draft stock took a hit when he was not invited to participate in the NFL Combine. When that happened, Bilal was forced to attract potential NFL suitors with a strong performance at the Notre Dame Pro Day.

Unfortunately for Bilal, the Notre Dame Pro Day was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which ended any opportunities for him to work out in front of NFL scouts and executives in hopes of potentially wowing him with his athletic ability and making him a selection in the NFL Draft.

After having to go strictly off of game film, the Los Angeles Chargers saw enough from Bilal to sign him to an undrafted free agent contract. In Los Angeles, Bilal will be joined by a slew of familiar faces that he shared time with at South Bend, as the Chargers currently have former Notre Dame players Jerry Tillery, Isaac Rochell, Drue Tranquill, Alohi Gilman, and Donte Vaughn on their roster.

The signing of Bilal is interesting, as he has similar physical traits, skill set, and playing style to the aforementioned Tranquill. Both Tranquill and Bilal spent time at both safety and linebacker for the Irish and represent options to be hybrid type players with the Chargers.

Asmar Bilal stands a solid chance of making the Chargers roster as he is a highly athletic linebacker, who is long and has a wide tackling radius. Perhaps most important is the fact that Bilal represents a linebacker who has excellent cover skills that range from sideline-to-sideline and he has the position versatility that so many of today’s NFL defensive coordinators covet.